From feast to famine: Denver Broncos lose Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler in same week

John Kryk, Postmedia News03.09.2016

Brock Osweiler’s with the Texans is a whopping four-year deal worth $72 million, with $37 million guaranteed, according to multiple reports. That’s an average of $18 million per year, placing him in the top-third of NFL quarterback salaries.

Brock Osweiler looked fabulous at times in starting Denver’s final seven regular-season games from Nov. 22 to Jan. 3. But sometimes, even within the same quarter let alone same game, he would revert to the inexperienced passer he was.

On Sunday the Denver Broncos had a logjam at quarterback, with Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler.

Now, the defending Super Bowl champions have lost both — Manning to retirement on Monday, and Osweiler to free agency on Wednesday.

About an hour before NFL free agency kicked off Wednesday at 4 p.m. EST, numerous reports said Osweiler already had agreed to terms with the quarterback-desperate Houston Texans.

A wave of other blockbuster free-agent signings also had been agreed to in principle, technically against NFL rules but the league undoubtedly will rubber-stamp them all.

Osweiler’s with the Texans is a whopping four-year deal worth $72 million, with $37 million guaranteed, according to multiple reports. That’s an average of $18 million per year, placing him in the top-third of NFL quarterback salaries.

Not bad for a guy who did nothing but back up Manning for his first three NFL seasons, then started only seven games late this past season, the last of which saw him get yanked for Manning after halftime and not play a meaningful moment in the playoffs.

Osweiler looked fabulous at times in starting Denver’s final seven regular-season games from Nov. 22 to Jan. 3. But sometimes, even within the same quarter let alone same game, he would revert to the inexperienced passer he was.

The former Arizona State star completed 62% of his throws this past season for 1,967 yards, 10 touchdowns, six interceptions and a pretty good 86.4 passer rating.

His new contract, however, says far more about Houston’s desperation than Osweiler’s on-field pro accomplishments so far.

Journeyman NFL backup quarterback Matt Flynn, a free agent again, tweeted: “Wow. I know I’m going to get killed for this and I don’t have a lot of room to talk, but this latest QB contract is unbelievable…”

Even after Manning retired, and knowing Osweiler’s rookie contract would expire Wednesday afternoon, reports said Broncos executive VP and GM John Elway refused to offer the tall gunslinger more than $16 million per year, and $30 million guaranteed.

Multiple reports said Elway sensed as early as last week that Osweiler seemed unenthusiastic about the prospect of returning to Denver. Manning’s expected retirement announcement apparently did not change that.

The Texans were a team not unlike the Broncos this past season — led by an exceptionally strong defence and augmented by decent talent on offence. The enormous difference, of course, was that the Broncos had two quarterbacks who at least could be serviceable, and who could generate clutch victories, while Houston had no such quarterback, at least come the playoffs.

Everyone knew the Texans would pursue a replacement starter either via a first-round trade-up in the draft or, more likely, by overpaying for their choice as the top free-agent passer.

Reports early this week confirmed the latter route: Osweiler.

So the Texans’ QB-whisperer of a head coach, Bill O’Brien, appears to finally have his man — after failed experiments with Hoyer, Ryan Mallett and, in 2014, with Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Speaking of Fitzpatrick, he became a free agent late Wednesday afternoon when he turned down the New York Jets’ best pre-deadline offer.

It would not come as a surprise if the Broncos pursued Fitzpatrick with great haste and vigour.

If you’re prone to believe conspiracy theories, it’s possible that Elway — upon sussing that Osweiler was unlikely to remain in Denver — let the Fitzpatrick camp know during the legal-tampering period earlier this week that the Broncos would be most interested in his services if Osweiler departed.

The top free-agent quarterbacks after Fitzpatrick available by supper-hour Wednesday were unlikely to impress any NFL fan, let alone any NFL GM: Robert Griffin III, Brandon Weeden, Jimmy Clausen, Tarvaris Jackson, Matt Moore and Scott Tolzien.

Also available by supper hour Wednesday was Matt Schaub. Don’t be surprised if the Broncos sign him as a potential backup to whoever winds up as starter, because Schaub played under Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak both in Houston (from 2007-13 when Kubiak was head coach there) and in Baltimore (when Kubiak was offensive coordinator there in 2014).

Reports said the Broncos’ first choice to replace Osweiler might be disgruntled San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick, who has asked to be traded. The Niners might be unwilling to oblige, reports said.

The lone quarterback currently under contract to the Broncos is Trevor Siemian, a seventh-round draft pick last year (200th overall) who’d started only 14 games in four years at Northwestern. A protypical pocket passer, Siemian mostly backed up unaccomplished dual-threat quarterbacks in college.

Hardly a Manning. Or even Osweiler.

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From feast to famine: Denver Broncos lose Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler in same week

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